Samer Abu-Hawwash
(Palestinian)

Translated by
Sharif S Elmusa

A cold day

A cold day
I don't think at all
to turn on the heat
wear a third sweater
or stand by the window
and wait for the rain
because it won't fall today
it will fall tomorrow
and I won't ask ever
how old I've become
at this hour
it is sometimes sufficient to sit
and think
it is a cold day

***

Dreams wilting

Mere abstraction my saying
this room
resembles a planet
the bed an island
mere abstraction
mere idiocy too
my weeping now
but these are
dreams
wilting
by the day

***

The clothes line

They departed
and left the clothes line behind
why didn't they forget at least
one piece of clothing

***

The very handsome man

For my Father
They found him thus:
a body
only naked
a green plant
had tethered his shadow
to the ground and said:
so he doesn't inadvertently sleep
then wept
thus they found him
at noon
the very handsome man
side by side
with fish.

Translated by Sharif S Elmusa from the author's poetry collection 'Al-Hayat Tutba'a fi New York' ['Life, Printing in New York'] , Dar al-Jadid, Beirut 1996.
Reprinted from Banipal No 15/16